- First Lady of France, Bridgette Macron:
“We need to take charge of tomorrow’s world today. The challenge is already before us. We are witnessing its rapid evolution, and we need to bring it under control.”
First Lady of Lithuania, Diana Nausėdienė: - “I would like to express my gratitude to First Lady Emine Erdoğan for organising this roundtable on protecting children. We all have a responsibility to protect our children.”
- Spouse of the Prime Minister of Slovenia, Urška Bačovnik Janša:
- „Children are drowning in a dopamine-driven digital world built on instant gratification. We need to help them rediscover the satisfaction of creating things with their own hands and understand that the simplest things are often the hardest to accomplish.”
The spouses of world leaders brought together by First Lady Emine Erdoğan at the roundtable titled “Children, Technology and Security: Protecting the Next Generation”, held on the margins of the NATO Summit, shared their views in this regard.
As part of the 36th NATO Heads of State and Government Summit, First Lady Emine Erdoğan hosted the spouses of the heads of state and government visiting Ankara at the Çankaya Presidential Mansion.
Welcoming each guest upon arrival, First Lady Emine Erdoğan joined the spouses of leaders for the roundtable titled “Children, Technology and Security: Protecting the Next Generation.”
In her remarks, First Lady of France Brigitte Macron noted that France has been working to limit screen use in schools to the greatest extent possible.
Macron said: “For instance, what you read on a screen does not have the same effect on our brains as what you read in a book. Why are we introducing these restrictions? Because we have observed important differences. They are simply not the same way of learning. We do not want children to be exposed to screens at an early age.”
Referring to fake videos that, in her words, “can deceive everyone,” Macron said that children are exposed to such content and may believe it. “We need to take charge of tomorrow’s world today. The challenge is already before us. We are witnessing its rapid evolution, and we need to bring it under control,” she said.
Touching on the use of artificial intelligence, Macron noted that students in France are encouraged to think carefully about their future career choices, saying: “We tell them to choose their profession accordingly. Developments are moving at an extraordinary pace. There is a great deal of uncertainty. At this stage, we simply do not know where it is all heading.”
First Lady of Lithuania, Diana Nausėdienė, said, “I would like to express my gratitude to First Lady Emine Erdoğan for organising this roundtable on protecting children. We all have a responsibility to protect our children.”
Nausėdienė said the participants shared the view that the virtual world must be a safe environment for children, stressing that they have a responsibility to protect children against cyberbullying, disinformation, and hybrid manipulation.
Noting that the risks faced by children are well understood, Nausėdienė said policymakers must act together with society, adding: “We are facing a fundamental challenge, and we need an international effort.”
She also stressed that, as NATO Allies, they should work together to protect younger generations against hybrid manipulation, describing young people as “the group most vulnerable to disinformation.”
First Lady of Finland, Suzanne Innes-Stubb, said that while the digital world offers enormous benefits, young people use social media to stay connected, socialise, learn, and access information.
Noting that, for many children, the digital world has become „part of everyday life” and that more children are entering this environment every day, Suzanne Elizabeth Innes-Stubb drew attention to the growing spread of disinformation.
Innes-Stubb stressed the importance of ensuring that children grow up with the ability to distinguish fact from fiction, adding that technology providers should develop „age-appropriate app designs”.
She also underscored the need for anti-addiction features, saying: „Ultimately, our goal is clear: to protect children in all digital contexts. We must ensure that children are not left alone with harmful online experiences.”
First Lady of Romania Mirabela Grădinaru said that the theme that brought the spouses of leaders together „deeply moved” her, stressing that, just as children are „protected in the physical world”, they must also be protected in the digital environment.
She stated, “Because there are predators and harmful algorithms there, competing for our children’s attention. We need to protect them. We need to prevent screen addiction. This is a challenge that spans generations.”
First Lady of Poland, Marta Nawrocka, said that while the internet offers tremendous opportunities for young people, it also exposes them to hate speech, manipulation, and disinformation.
Pointing out that anonymous content on social media is „growing like an avalanche”, Nawrocka said, “Such content becomes harmful, and children need to be protected from an early age, and they also need to understand the risks it poses.”
Emphasising that her country is working to implement projects in this field, Nawrocka stated that children should be taught „a culture of respect on the internet” from an early age.
The First Lady of Ukraine, Olena Zelenska, said that they are fully aware of the various risks and threats children encounter online.
„There are also behavioural risks, including cyberbullying, bullying among peers, and children sharing private photos of themselves without understanding the consequences,” Zelenska said.
Zelenska added that radicalisation, terrorism, and online gambling pose major threats to children and young people and said, „These threats know no borders. They affect children in every country, and we face them in Ukraine as well.”
She stressed that parents, children, and schools must work together as “a triangle” to address these challenges and said, „Our children are growing up in an internet environment full of opportunities. But this is not solely the responsibility of parents; society and technology companies also have a responsibility.”
The First Lady of the Republic of Korea, Kim Hae Kyung, thanked President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan and First Lady Emine Erdoğan for hosting the meeting.
Noting that rapid advances in digital technology have created broader opportunities for children’s learning and communication, she said:
„At the same time, they have also increased the risks of exposure to inappropriate content and cyberbullying, as well as side effects such as developmental delays and emotional distress caused by excessive use.”
Kim noted that the Republic of Korea has taken measures to address these risks, including amendments to legislation aimed at strengthening the protection of young people from sexual crimes.
The spouse of the Prime Minister of Slovenia, Urška Bačovnik Janša, stated that she is both a mother and a medical doctor and described the issue discussed at the meeting as one of the defining challenges of our era.
Observing that children are „growing up in a digital environment”, she noted that society is undergoing a profound transformation in which children are losing touch with real life and basic life skills.
„Children are drowning in a dopamine-driven digital world built around instant gratification. We need to help them rediscover the satisfaction of creating things with their own hands and understand that the simplest things are often the hardest to accomplish.”
She emphasised the importance of „quality digital education”, adding, „Our goal is not to distance children from the digital world, but to help them grow into safe, healthy, creative, and responsible individuals within it.”
The spouse of the Prime Minister of Albania, Linda Rama, remarked, „Twenty years ago, a new chapter—one of the most significant in human history—began when Facebook entered our lives.”
She recalled that YouTube, Twitter, Instagram, and TikTok later followed. „What began as a new way of connecting people across distances gradually transformed the way we communicate, think, learn, and experience the world.”
Pointing out that anger has become the dominant emotion on social media, Rama said that algorithms tend to amplify rather than reduce it and said, „Because algorithms tend to amplify anger. We are trying to learn how to live with that.”
Rama said, „Children are the most vulnerable to these risks, yet we cannot always protect them. If you leave the door open, everything comes in. That is why the virtual environment must be made safer. We cannot live our entire lives through a screen. The real world, the family… We cannot live them through a screen. We need to return to our traditions.”
The spouse of the Prime Minister of Denmark, Bo Tengberg, said that children increasingly influenced by digital technologies are losing the freedom to play and interact with one another.
She observed that many children no longer know what to play or whom to play with during school breaks and added, „They no longer know what to play, whom to play with, or even how to play. Moreover, children are no longer read stories during their early childhood years. Instead, they are increasingly exposed to simulated experiences.”
Noting that children are „seeing things on social media that they should never see—and that they will never forget”, she said, „These platforms should no longer be a part of our children’s lives. We need to return to our analogue and physical way of life.”
The spouse of the Prime Minister of Greece, Mareva Grabowski-Mitsotakis, acknowledged that technology offers tremendous opportunities in education and many other fields.
„When used properly, it can be a tremendous force for good. At the same time, however, we share deep concerns about its impact on children’s mental health, literacy, and cognitive development,” said Grabowski-Mitsotakis.
Referring to the sense of helplessness felt by parents, Mitsotakis described the situation as „a lost battlefield” and stated:
Digital addiction is an epidemic, and it’s not something that parents can tackle on their own. Of course, this isn’t the same as passive smoking or children travelling without wearing a seatbelt. We need to give them structural tools. We need to make regulations, and we need to translate this into legislation.”
Milena Spajic, the spouse of the Prime Minister of Montenegro, recalled the words parents often say to their children as they leave home: „Be careful, stay safe.”
Spajic said, “Today, we must teach our children to stay safe even in their own bedrooms, because the internet is no longer just a place we visit from time to time; it is the environment in which our children are growing up.”
Noting that algorithms increase ‘children’s vulnerability,’ including loneliness, cyberbullying, and abuse, Spajic opined that this situation also gives rise to addictive behaviour.
Spajic said, “Children think they are not strong enough, and parents also believe they cannot protect their children from the risks of the digital world. We teach our children how to cross the road, but unfortunately, we cannot teach them how to navigate the digital world.”
Evelin Oras, the partner of the Prime Minister of Estonia, said, “Digital life has offered our children extraordinary opportunities, but it has also opened the door to their bedrooms, their friendships, their self-esteem and, at times, to people who wish to harm them.”
Describing this environment as a “battlefield that countries’ defence ministries cannot fully map out,” Oras said, “This field has neither boundaries, nor checkpoints, nor uniforms.” This field is the screen in every child’s hand.”
Noting that there is content on social media that “ages children faster than they are ready for,” Oras made the following remarks regarding the measures to be taken against this:
„The greatest protection for a child online is not an app, it is trust. It is the child feeling safe enough to be able to talk to their parent openly about a situation that frightens or confuses them.”
Diana Fox Carney, the spouse of the Prime Minister of Canada, expressed her thanks to First Lady Emine Erdoğan for hosting the meeting.
Noting that there is broad consensus in most countries that the time has come for change, Carney said, “This shows that we are all taking this extremely seriously and that the mood is shifting.”
Noting that views and practices may differ across countries, Carney stated that they wanted children to be protected in every way and to lead happy, fulfilling lives.
Noting that companies “exploit people’s vulnerability”, Carney said, “I believe digital literacy is absolutely essential. In Canada, we are working on this. We are striving to refine these and make digital services as good as they can be.”
Charlotte Merz, the spouse of the Chancellor of Germany, expressed her gratitude for the meeting and noted that she had served as a judge in family courts for many years.
Merz noted that she frequently observes children and young people who spend most of their time on their mobile phones, sometimes as many as eight hours a day, in her daily professional life, and said, “Children are our future.”
Noting that, as long as they look at screens, children do not play with their friends, take part in sports, or spend time outdoors, Merz said, “Parents, too, are allowing their children to carry on like this for a variety of reasons.”
Merz said, „The digital world should adapt to children. Not children to the digital world. People all over the world have recognised that children are vulnerable and need special protection. We cannot now backslide on these achievements.”
Monika Babišová, the spouse of the Prime Minister of Czechia, noted that the topic discussed at the meeting was important for all parents and all countries.
„Digital technologies are a natural part of our children’s lives,’ said Babišová, adding that these technologies help children to learn, communicate, and explore the world.
Noting that banning technology for children and cutting them off from it entirely is not an option, Babisova said, “At the same time, we must also make it clear that the digital environment is often not safe for children today. Our goal is not to reject technology, to set it aside. Our goal is to put it at the service of children.”
Heiko von der Leyen, the spouse of the President of the European Commission (EC), noted that he is a medical doctor and a clinical researcher, a father, and a grandfather of six.
Noting that social media affects the brain’s physiological functions, von der Leyen stated that the frontal cortex needs to interact with the outside world in order to develop.
Speaking about asocial children, von der Leyen gave the following example:
„A teacher I spoke to recently said that only half of the 5th-graders could run backwards. Can you imagine such a thing? It’s very easy for us, something that was very easy for us to do in the past.
Von der Leyen said that children need to experience life’s challenges, interact with their friends, and take part in sports.
